I know I promised yesterday to write about the craft fair that I'll be selling at, but having just read this blog post on my cousin's blog, it just doesn't feel right not to acknowledge the work that someone in my family is doing for humanity so the rest of us have the peace and time to worry about stuff like selling at craft fairs...
OK, a little bit of background. Remember the gorgeous wedding we recently went to in Maine? Well, that's my Cousin Andy's wedding. He married a beautiful girl named Karen, now my cousin-in-law, who's an assistant DA at the criminal court in NY at the time (yes, just like CSI, feel free to hum the theme song).
Well, you'd think that after their wedding, they'd buy a house in the burbs, worry about what color to paint the kitchen, whose family they're gonna spend Thanksgiving with, just like ordinary folks like you and I do, right?
Wrong! They are on a moral ground so high I can't even claim to be related to them by blood (well, to my cousin anyway).
So, what did they do? They left their family and friends (and her job), packed their bags, moved to The Hague in the Netherlands so she can pursue an internship (with very little/no pay) with the International Criminal Court, where she can be part of an elite team of justice-fighters who'll prosecute war criminals across the world.
This video (linked from their blog) below will tell you a little something about what they're fighting against (Caution: I cried my eyes out, although I am a bit sensitive these days...):
Can you even begin to fathom the kind of passion, faith and determination you need to pursue something like that in your life?
And the reason I'm writing about all these here is that I think we should all give Karen some support. Sure, they're having an adventure of a lifetime, but things aren't all rosy when you leave everything behind and puts yourself out there based on that faith in the justice of humanity.
So, I know you don't know Karen or Andy, but if you can spare a minute, please go visit their blog, and drop her a note and thank her for her work, however tedious it may seem, that we know will make this world a better place for the rest of us, so we can worry about stuff like what color to paint our kitchens, and whether to have that extra helping of turkey on Thanksgiving.
